Field course allows cultural experiences

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Graduate students from the Aboriginal field of study at Wilfrid Laurier University spent last week in the bush as part of the programโ€™s culture camp. Spanning from Sept. 9-14, this is the first course students take as part of the Aboriginal field of study program, a masters of social work program.

Exposing students to cultural learning processes, culture camp is an opportunity for students to be immersed in the indigenous worldview beyond the classroom.

โ€œIt takes them back to our teachings of the land and exposes them to a holistic healing approach,โ€ explained Kathy Absolon-King, interim program coordinator and associate professor for the Aboriginal field of study.

โ€œIt also helps them to build relationships with each other.โ€

Dean of the faculty of social work, Nick Coady, commented on the program as a whole.

โ€œI would say personal and academic development are more interwoven in the Aboriginal field of study. I think thatโ€™s something that our other fields of study might learn from,โ€ he said.

Ten students were in attendance for the full five days, participating in such activities as building a sweat lodge, making a hand-drum and fashioning moccasins.

The camp as a whole including these projects is foundational to the rest of the program.

The hand-drum is carried with students throughout the duration of the program, enacting a healing tool just as a stethoscope is to a medical student.

The moccasins are to be used in the circle room — a round classroom which belongs to the program.

Absolon-King described the process.

โ€œThey will symbolically put on their moccasins when they come into the circle room and step into that indigenous based learning process,โ€ she explained.

Space was rented from the Pierce Williams Christian Centre, which the culture camp has been using for the past few years.

โ€œWe have it on one of our wish lists for the program to get landโ€ฆso we can create more of a permanent place for our culture camp,โ€ expressed Absolon- King.

Echoing this desire was Jean Becker, senior advisor for Aboriginal initiatives and elder for this yearโ€™s culture camp.

Becker worked with the camp for four years since it began in September 2006.

Her involvement this year allowed her to see how it has developed.

โ€œ[Students] were so ready to participate and engage in what we were doing. It really was like they started at a whole different level than the earlier program students did,โ€ said Becker.

โ€œI felt there was a real development, so I was really happy to see that.โ€

Absolon-King said that this yearโ€™s camp ran smoothly.

โ€œWe introduce [students] to a lot of things in the week,โ€ she continued.

โ€œWe keep them really busy, which means weโ€™re really busy. So at the end of the day weโ€™re tired, but itโ€™s a good tired.โ€

According to Absolon-King, the student response has been positive thus far.

Becker noted students are appreciative of having this experience at a post-secondary institution.

โ€œWe had a student who phrased it well: โ€˜This is the first time Iโ€™ve done a university program where I didnโ€™t have to leave myself at the doorโ€™,โ€ quoted Becker.

โ€œI think thatโ€™s really indicative of the need to have these kinds of programs for students.โ€


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